surmise

American  

[ser-mahyz, ser-mahyz, sur-mahyz] / sərˈmaɪz, sərˈmaɪz, ˈsɜr maɪz /

verb (used with object)

surmised, surmising

1. to think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess.

   Synonyms:

   suspect, suppose, imagine

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verb (used without object)

surmised, surmising

1. to conjecture or guess.

noun

1. a matter of conjecture.

2. an idea or thought of something as being possible or likely.

3. a conjecture or opinion.

surmise British  

verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to infer (something) from incomplete or uncertain evidence

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noun

1. an idea inferred from inconclusive evidence

Related Words

See guess.

Other Word Forms

• surmisable adjective
• surmisedly adverb
• surmiser noun
• unsurmised adjective
• unsurmising adjective

Etymology

Origin of surmise

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English surmisen, from Anglo-French surmis(e), Middle French “accused,” past participle of surmettre “to accuse,” from Latin supermittere “to throw upon,” from super super- + mittere “to let go, send”

Explanation

If you see empty ice cream containers on the table, sprinkles littering the ground, and a can of whipped cream in the trash, you can surmise what happened: someone made sundaes. To surmise is to form an opinion or make a guess about something. If you surmise that something is true, you don't have much evidence or knowledge about it. Near synonyms are guess, conjecture, and suppose. You might say, "I can't even surmise what he would do in such a situation." Surmise came to English from the French surmettre, "to accuse," which is formed from the prefix sur-, "on, upon," plus mettre, "to put" (from Latin mittere, "to send").

Example Sentences

But if you showed the average Chicagoan the evidence now in the public domain, most would likely surmise that Mr. Homan took a bribe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025

Yet, with how much time these commenters seem to have to seek out unemployment announcements, one has to surmise that internet trolls aren’t exactly the most gainfully employed members of society themselves.

From Salon • Oct. 7, 2025

As my colleague Paul Roberts reported, experts in the retail sector surmise that North Face’s decision was a consequence of local challenges and the larger problems in the outdoor clothing sector.

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024

Pregnancy in previously infertile women taking semaglutides including Ozempic may, some surmise, simply be a result of weight loss itself — obesity can lead to hormone imbalances that make pregnancy difficult to achieve or sustain.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2024

My surmise is, this: that in London the Count decided to get back to his castle by water, as the most safe and secret way.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Related Words

• deduce
• hypothesize
• infer
• opine
• presume
• pretend
• speculate
• theorize